For better or worse, American citizens have a strong concept of privacy and the limits of the Administration in this regard. In fact, any federal regulation that may minimally affect private life is immediately seen as government intrusion and raises all kinds of protests.
And that happened precisely in 1971 when the North American Government decided to implement the unpleasant measure of the maximum road speed limit of 55 miles/hour, about 88 km/h. The measure was a response to the threat of the great oil crisis – which would become a reality three years later – that was already looming over the American economy. Despite this, the entry into force of the norm made the population feel very bad.
There was still not much ecological awareness and the Detroit industry was experiencing one of its golden moments, so more than as a call for energy containment, it was seen as federal destabilization and almost immediately voices were raised calling for non-compliance with the recently implemented limitation. .
It must be understood that until that moment each State decided on the maximum speed in its jurisdiction and there were even some that did not regulate it. And on the other hand, and even more important, we are in the 70s. These are the hippie years, of the fight for civil rights, of “Flower Power”, of protests over the Vietnam War and of an entire anti-system counterculture that is ground subscriber for civil disobedience.
The press takes sides
The North American press, always combative and which had positioned itself mostly against the limit, took action on the matter. A motor journalist named Brock Yates – editor of the very important magazine Car&Driver– decided to echo the social discontent by announcing with great fanfare for May 3 a trip from New York to Los Angeles in which he was going to drive the entire time at the maximum possible speed to ridicule the new federal rule.
Brock Yates wanted to show social discontent with a trip from New York to Los Angeles in which he would always travel at the maximum speed allowed.
Yates took the idea from the journey carried out on the same route in 1933 by a pilot named Erwin “Cannonball” Baker, who spent 53 hours and 30 minutes connecting both cities at the wheel of a Graham Page “Blue Streak”. Taking into account the infrastructure of the time, the time taken by Baker is a true feat and Yates decided to honor the pioneer by calling his action the “Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash”.
As it could not be otherwise given the current times, the chosen vehicle was a ’71 Dodge Custom Sportsman “hippy” van and the journalist spent 40 hours and 51 minutes completing the route. American motorsports fans devoured Yates’ articles and media interventions explaining the details of the “feat.”
We could say in today’s terms that trying to humiliate the Government by breaking speed limits went viral and hundreds of sports car drivers and car clubs asked Yates to organize another coast-to-coast trip.
The Cannonball Run was born, a race without rules
Yates picked up the gauntlet – he was also no stranger to the business possibilities that had just appeared to him – and the second “Cannonball” was held in November of that same 1971 with six teams already registered. Registration was only allowed to drivers who could prove a sufficient economic level to ensure payment of the foreseeable very high fines and eventual bail in case of arrest. Yates himself participated as co-driver for Dan Gurney – a true legend of North American motorsports, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and several Formula 1 and Nascar grand prix – this time at the wheel of a Ferrari Daytona.
Brock Yates created the famous Cannonbal race
To avoid police intervention, the participants were not told until the last minute the place of the start – which turned out to be the abandoned Red Ball garage on East 31st Street in New York – or where the finish line would be waiting in Los Angeles. Angeles, which was ultimately located in Redondo Beach.
The main rule of the race was that there were no rules: you could take any path to the finish line and at any speed without any limitations.
To avoid police intervention, the participants were not informed until the last moment of the departure location.
Yates once again published an even longer and more epic article about “Cannonball” and this time the call effect was unstoppable.
In November 1972, the journalist launched the next edition of his Cannonball. Registration was expanded to 34 cars, also reserved for participants with a high purchasing power. Steve Behr won with a Cadillac Coupe de Ville and a time of 37:16.
The joke is over!
At this point the authorities – who had been relatively benevolent with the first two editions of Yates’s prank – stopped seeing it as an eccentricity and began to treat it as a public order problem and increased police pressure exponentially.
The Cannonball’s starting point was the abandoned Red Ball garage on East 31st Street in New York.
The result is that there was no race for two years and we had to wait until 1975 for the fourth edition to take place, with 17 vehicles participating. Rick Cline won, with a Ferrari Dino 246 GTS and a time of 35:53.
The last original “Cannonball Run” took place in 1979 and was won by Dave Heinz in a Jaguar XJS with a time of 32:51. Yates ran it with an ambulance with which, in addition to making way with the siren, he informed the rest of the runners by radio of the police presence.
It was at that time when the magazine Time He dedicated an extensive report to her and Hollywood noticed her to produce the popular film series.
The race, however, had already lost its rebellious and “hippie” spirit and had become a rally for millionaires.
Source: www.lavanguardia.com
